I am a big fan of quiche. If made properly it is the perfect balance of crust and eggy, cheesy filling. Growing up my mom would always make quiche for Christmas morning brunch, and as an adult I have made quiche for brunch many times. By far my most popular variation on quiche is the miniature version here. In my experience people love individual dishes, and at a brunch or breakfast pot-luck these mini-quiche are the first to go.

This is my vegetable version, my favorite, but if you need to add meat an ounce or two of ham or a couple slices of crisp cooked bacon would be lovely here. That said, the vegetable version is hearty enough with the peppers and mushrooms that you will not miss the meat at all. You will also notice I make the pastry for this dish using buttermilk instead of water. There are two reasons for this change. First, buttermilk adds a pleasant tang to the crust, which I think work swell with the sweet vegetables. Second, it keeps the crust tender. This crust is mealy and often mealy crusts can get tough. Buttermilk helps keep the gluten in check, thus producing a more tender finished product. At your next brunch or party give these a try!

In a medium bowl mix together the flour and salt. Add the butter and with your fingers rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles very coarse sand. Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for twenty minutes while you prepare the filling.

In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter until it foams. Add the mushrooms, garlic, jalapeno, onions and bell pepper. Saute, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. Once tender allow the vegetables to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the chives. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 400 F and spray a six-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Once chilled roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is 1/8″ thick. With a large biscuit cutter, at least 4″, cut six circles with the dough. Press the dough into the prepared muffin tins. Line each crust with a small piece of foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional ten minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 F.

Divide the cheese among the six crusts, top with the vegetable mixture, then pour over the eggs until they just cover the vegetables. Return to the oven and bake until puffed all over, about 20 minutes. Allow the quiche to rest for five minutes before serving.

the mini crusts are so awesome! i’ve only seen mini quiche (homemade ones anyway) that are crustless, but these look perfect!!!

http://www.achicabakes.com Eliana

I heart all quiche especially in mini form. This one looks delicious.

http://breadplusbutter.blogspot.com jenn (Bread + Butter)

little bitty quiche meaning I’ll have 4.

http://tastyeatsathome.wordpress.com Alta

Yes please! I love veggie quiche! These would be an awesome choice for a brunch get-together.

http://flamingomusings.com RJ Flamingo

Definitely a future fave – and I love the idea of buttermilk in the crust!

http://www.bellalimento.com Paula – bell’alimento

How stinkin cute are these? Love it! I think I’m going to give them a whirl & add some bacon in as well : ) swoon

http://hungryjenny.blogspot.com Hungry Jenny

Ooh, I’ve been meaning to try and make mini quiches for a while now – but the prospect of such a fiddly sounding job puts me off!

You make it look so simple, but for me it would take forever and a mess I’m always too nervous to bake mini pies in my muffin tray also – even though it’s non stick, I still use muffin paper liners, which just adds an extra faff to my baking!

Hungry Jenny x

http://thelonelyradish.com Sara

Voted for you. Good luck! Love baby quiches.

http://reciperhapsody.wordpress.com Veronica

Congrats on being a Rotel finalist–I voted for you! These look scrumptious but I think I’m far too lazy to ever make them. Can I use the same recipe for the crust and filling to make one big quiche? That’s more my style.

Debbie

Can’t wait to try this recipe–perfect meal for me to take to work. Have you tried to freeze them after baking? If so, what’s the best way to reheat?

http://www.zomppa.com Belinda @zomppa

I’m not sure I could stop at one, or two. In fact, I know I couldn’t.

http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com Joy

Those looks great. I like how you used so many different peppers. I like your dough recipe. I’m going to have to try this.